POLITICAL THEOLOGY FOUR CHAPTERS ON THE CONCEPT OF SOVEREIGNTY

Written in the intense political and intellectual tumult of the early years of the Weimar Republic, Political Theology develops the distinctive theory of sovereignty that made Carl Schmitt one of the most significant and controversial political theorists of the twentieth century.Focusing on the relationships among political leadership, the norms of the legal order, and the state of exception, Schmitt argues in Political Theology that legal order rests upon the authority of the sovereign. According to Schmitt, only the sovereign is in the position to effectively respond to challenges posed by exceptional situations, and this authority can temporarily transcend the legal order so that that national order can be reestablished. Convinced that the state is governed by the ever-present possibility of conflict, Schmitt theorizes that the purpose of the state is to maintain its integrity in order to ensure order and stability. Suggesting that all concepts of modern political thought are secularized theological concepts, Schmitt concludes Political Theology with a critique of liberalism and its attempt to depoliticize political thought by avoiding fundamental political decisions. Written in the intense political and intellectual tumult of the early years of the Weimar Republic, Political Theology develops the distinctive theory of sovereignty that made Carl Schmitt one of the most significant and controversial political theorists of the twentieth century. Focusing on the relationships among political leadership, the norms of the legal order, and the state of political emergency, Schmitt argues in Political Theology that legal order ultimately rests upon the decisions of the sovereign. According to Schmitt, only the sovereign can meet the needs of an "exceptional" time and transcend legal order so that order can then be reestablished. Convinced that the state is governed by the ever-present possibility of conflict, Schmitt theorizes that the state exists only to maintain its…